Monday
Oct312011
The "forgetters' table" - a horrifying tale
Monday, October 31, 2011 at 06:27AM It's the time of year for telling frightening stories and I heard one yesterday and made my skin crawl.
It seems some librarians create something called the "Forgetters' Table" - a place children must sit if they've forgotten to return their library book while the rest of class get new books. One child who lost a book in kindergarten was still sitting every week at the Forgetters' Table in third grade.
It's tempting to rant here. To condemn a profession. To construct a moral. But the horror can simply speak for itself.
I just hope the kid from the Forgetters' Table runs for school board or becomes a principal at this librarian's school as an adult. Boo!
Reader Comments (15)
When my daughter, now 17, was in elementary school, the librarian there arranged the kids into two groups: the "Lucky Ducks" and the "Silly Gooses." The Lucky Ducks got to browse the stacks and check out books, and the Silly Gooses got to wait near the door because they forgot to bring their library books to school. This happened from first grade onward, and the librarian was completely unresponsive to this concerned parent. That experience, along with being told by her third grade teacher that "Unless you're GATE you don't have a prayer here," helped create in my daughter a resolve that school sucked. She was no dummy. She dropped out as soon as she could, and is only now getting back on track, with a second senior year to look forward to.
Yes, librarians can make a gigantic difference to kids, and I'm not just talking about the magic of reading.
You're right. I tried to compose a rant and all I came up with is...
woah.
Yep. That's all I got.
Librarians who care more about books than kids make it tougher on all of us.
This just made me cry. And now I'm sick at heart. Halloween scares are much easier to take because they aren't real.
Wow, surely there's a better name to use than "forgetters!" Let see if those kids don't grow up with memory issues!
I was at a library a while back where forgetting your library book was actually a good thing, because you got to sit in the browser's section. We had the newest Guinness World Records book and other fun magazines where kids could browse while waiting on the other children to check out. So, we had something for them to do while waiting, and it didn't include being ostracized.
Hi
I read this post two times.
I like it so much, please try to keep posting.
Let me introduce other material that may be good for our community.
Source: Media specialist interview questions
Best regards
Henry
What a wonderful idea to associate shame and humiliation with reading. That will certainly help those children want to read more and use library resources.
Good grief. Maybe there should be a book about what NOT to do in your school library... You wouldn't think it would be needed, but...
I confess I have a forgot my book table (elementary school) and it gets pretty filled. I also have a readers box to go with it so they have good books and the other children can get their favorite books from the shelf. My forget table is filled with repeaters, kids whose parents don't pay enought attention to get their books ready (or the kids) or young enough not to be able to care or pay for ruined books. (yes, we charge replacement costs) I try and find books they may be interested in and they often come up and ask if I will save their book for them (iinterested) until they bring their books back. I also have 4 or 5 kids tugging at my sleeve to help them find their favorite books. By December I don't need the forgot my book table we have developed "good habits". Its not about scolding, everyone forgets, but it give all users a chance to get their favorite book without seeing it in the hands of someone who can't check out. It can be positive. Even parents can reinforce the importance of "good habits" and responsibility at home. Thanks.
I really dislike having to charge our students a late fee, but in middle school it helps them with responsibility. As the reading teacher, there are many days I pay the fines so my students can get a book. I'd rather they read then pay .10.
Hi Bill,
Stories like yours, along with my own kids less than optimal school experiences, renew my commitment to making change in libraries (and the greater educational system.)
Thanks for sharing this and good luck to your daughter,
Doug
Hi Brad,
Just hope there is justice in the universe somewhere, somehow.
Doug
Hi LibraryGirl,
Yeah, unfortunately librarians are often their own worst enemies. Thankfully we have people like you who write and share best practices that others can model. Keep up the good work. (You were missed at AASL!)
Doug
Hi Pam,
I hope it goes beyond just a better name for the area, but a better way to help kids remember to return materials - without humiliation.
Thanks for the comment,
Doug
Hi Mary,
Somehow many educators (and I've done this as well), forget that kids and not things always come first. Sigh...
Doug
Hi Mosey and Shelly,
I agree that teaching responsibility is a part of educating children. Can we do it without labeling and humiliating, however? Seems like your approach works. Thanks for sharing.
Doug
Hi Doug -
That's high praise coming from you. I'm humbled. AND I missed you and everyone at AASL. I hope our paths cross again soon.
j
Oh, that's really scary! I don't realize this system: what's the point of such sitting for a kid, who's forgotten a book?
Hi Kelley,
I think the misguided purpose is to encourage students to be more responsible. Trying to do this through shaming students is deplorable and probably ineffective.
Doug
So, I have a question.... "Do we let those students get a new book, even if they have lost their book or forgotten it?" After our mini lesson, I call students to check out books as I check them in. This helps me to only call students who have brought their books back. Students whose names are not called have the option of browsing, reading magazines, or looking at books from the quick pick section (but of course I don't let them check them out). I don't make a big deal out of it, and if they do try to check out a book I simply tell them the name of the book(s) they need to bring back and promise to hold the books they chose for 24 hours in case they do remember to bring their book back. Should I be allowing students to check out regardless of their propensity to forget and/or lose things? I have always struggled with this... Help!
Hi Grace,
I think the key here is to find ways to encourage students to return their books in a responsible way without labeling or humiliating them. I always hope we place people over things and accept that losing books is less important than losing kid's love of libraries.
Doug